Any tips on making a cell phone battery last longer, besides replacing it?

Question

I've had the phone for 9 months and the battery seems to be draining faster and faster. Should I keep it on or off when I'm not using it for a long time? Is there such thing as over charging? How long should I charge the battery? How come it will say that it's fully charged after a half hour of charging, I'll make one 10 min. call and the battery goes down a bar? Does the vibrate ring use more of the battery? The phone company told me to buy a new battery. Of course they say that. That's how they make their money. If I'm doing something wrong I'll just wear out that one too. Any tips?

Answer 1

Its not designed just to die after a year. Rechargable batteries have certain chemicals inside that can hold a charge and regain the charge by adding electricity. Over time, these chemicals (usually nickel and cadmium) lose their potency. The best way to extend their life is to periodically run the battery completely dead, and then recharge it fully. Most take several hours to actually recharge, and if you take them off too soon it can reduce their potency. Always leave your batteries to charge for at least a couple hours, don't always trust what the phone says.

As far as the on/off question, the batteries will keep the current charge for longer if you turn it off, but it shouldn't affect the lifetime of the battery. Vibrate does use more of the current charge, but ditto on the lifetime. If your battery won't keep a long enough charge, the potency is permanently affected and you do need a new battery.

Freezing the battery may work, but it may also cause the battery to explode. Do that at your own risk.

Answer 2

My battery will last me about 3 years or more. What I do is; charge it 1/2 the day, and have it off the other 1/2 day. This has seemed to work well for me. You can turn off any features that you don't have to have such as the dial light or any other lights it may have. The lights seem to pull it down pretty fast. Notice if there are any lights that stay on while you are talking on it, as this will aid in running the battery down. The contacts that the phone uses to charge it with can also be cleaned often to help it charge better. Another thing that will draw charge from your battery is; if you let any contacts on the phone come into contact with any metal such as coins, keys, or anything that could short across the contacts. A pencil eraser can be used to clean the contacts, and that will enable it to charge better. Because the bars say fully charged, does not mean it is fully charged! It only means you are getting full voltage. It doesn't measure the amperage the phone can hold for a period of time. When a battery is going bad, it will get to where it doesn't hold a charge, and will go down quickly. Feel the phone after it has charged for a while, and the battery should feel hot. If it's not, then the battery for some reason or the other is not charging. I hope this has helped you. Good Luck!

Answer 3

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Answer 4

There's nothing wrong with your cell phone if the battery indicator goes down a bar after a 10-minute call. 10 minutes is a long time.

The indicator itself should tell you when your battery is fully-charged. Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, etc indicators blink while charging is in progres. The bar becomes steady when full.

Some more expensive models have orange lights while charging which turn green when full.

Here are some tips for making your battery last longer.

1) Deactivate vibrating alert. this uses up more battery life than a ring tone.

2) As much as possible, charge up only when your battery is really empty. Actually, cellphone makers advise that batteries should be allowed to get fully drained and shut down at least once a month.

3) My phone has a 'turn-off backlight' option. The screen doesn't light up even if i'm browsing or playing games on it. Of course, i have to turn it on again come evening to be able to see. Check if yours have it.

4)Using the cellphone to access the internet uses tremendous amount of battery. I should know, i use my phone to send my stories to my editors when i have a field coverage. A 15-minute internet access slashes my battery life by at least 12 hours.

Fact: If your screen starts to flicker or if your cellphone call shutsdown after a call, it's a sure sign that you need to replace your battery. I know batteries are expensive but you are better off buying from the manufacturer because counterfeit batteries are dangerous. They can cause fire, poisoning and even explode during charging.

Sadly, cellphones are virtually disposable items regardless of the price tag. They quickly become obsolete and the manufacturers themselves would sometimes refuse to repair older models (2 years old up).

Goodluck.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Avoid using a car charger. Drain the battery out so that the phone does not power on. Then charge it to full capacity. If it no longer holds the charge for long then get a new battery. However if you don't initially charge your new battery the right way it will do the same thing.

New Battery Charge....Charge fully then use up the battery until the cell phone does not power on anymore then charge it over night. Do This at least Three Times in a row in the beginning and then about Once Every Month after that. I've had several cell phone batteries last two or more years. Also...
Don't use all the bells and whistles like fancy ring tones and all the lights and vibrations because that drains out your battery really fast. There are ways to extend the life of your battery.
Check Out this Link................

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

Answer 7

The Li-Ion's from Time To Time, Will Be Faulty, if it's still under waranty which it probably wont be (They Usually Give 6 Months On the Battery) Get it Claimed.

If Not, Then Get A New One, There's Nothing Else You Can Do With the Li-Ion Battery (How You Charge Makes Really No Difference.(That's why Their So Good.)

I Really do Hope You Have A Li-Ion Battery As Most Any Phone In The World Now Does, If Not, Get A Phone With One.

Alot Of Answers Here Are Giving You Crap Tips like Putting it in the freezer & So Forth, They Can Only Damage the battery further. ( YOU HAVE TO REPLACE IT !!!)

HOPE THIS HELPS

Answer 8

Well it depends on the phone you have. Some cell phone companies in order to make more money have created worthless batteries basically that after about 6-8 months end up not holding a charge like they should. It sucks, but thats retail for you. However, it may depend on the features your phone uses. If you constantly have the web going, are constantly using your camera/video camera, or have it on vibrate all the time, or you play games on it constantly all those things wear the battery down in lightening time. In addition, try letting the phone completely die, then charge it for a full two hours, even after a half hour the phone tells you it has full charge. All the phones will do that even if you sit it on the charger for a short period of time. Strange, I know, but that's what they do. Try taking it off vibrate, if you don't want to hear the ring then put it on the lowest setting. Even if you aren't talking on your phone, but constantly have people calling you that too wears your battery time down. Hope this has helped a little.

Answer 9

If you use your phone for other things besides making and recieving calls, your battery will drain very quickly. The vibrating setting is a real drainer. To keep the phone open and run it through all its features will drain the battery in no time. Now there are the camera capable phones, and you can access the internet and hear music and play games--just remember that these phones are miniature in form and the battery has only so much power.

Answer 10

Let the batterie run out completely before charging again. Don't turn the phone off and back on again because you're not using it, that actually uses more power than leaving it run. There is a such thing as overcharging. It happens when you charge the batterie before it is completely worn out. Try not to charge the phone longer than necessary.

Answer 11

Yes, Yes, Yes, You asked the best question and I have the best answer. I had lots of trouble with my digital camera batteries and was finally able to find the answer.
Use a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts in cell phone and on battery. Squeeze out most of the liquid so that it is really damp, but not dripping. It will make the battery seem to go forever.

Batteries can be overcharged so follow the recommendations for your cell phone and battery. If you are not using the cell phone, it would save battery power to have it off. You can have a bad battery, but a technician for the phone can check that out.

Some batteries have a memory and must be discharged completely or the battery will slowly lose its power. NiMH are not plagued by the "memory" effect that reduces the life of NiCds when not fully drained before recharging.